AN: And here's a longer one to tide you over. Next up – the showdown begins!

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It's one last sit-rep. One last time making sure everyone knows their place.

Prowl can almost guarantee this is all pointless. He knows, deep inside his spark, that this mission will be one of those ones that goes to hell in the most spectacular fashion possible.

Still, there's nothing he can really do about it. That knowledge, though, is about to drive him insane.

Optimus stands by the door with Gunner. This really isn't their fight, after all. The team stands in the center of the tac room, surrounding a hologram map of Shockwave's base and the area around it. Jazz points out every area of interest, listing the various positions the team will take. Optimus assumes the other teams are having similar meetings.

"All righ', mechs, here's how it's gonna play out." Jazz says, drawing his attention away from his own thoughts. "Ah'm goin' in ta get rid of th' dampener. Wit th' way it sucks in power, it's gotta be here." He points to a spot on the map. "Prowler's gonna be goin' in wit meh."

"Mostly to make sure he has time to kill the dampener." Prowl says absently. That earns a round of nervous snickers from the team. Deadshot has fed them enough information that they know all about Shockwave's love of drones – and reformatting some of his victims to be his bodyguards.

Jazz shoots him a dirty look and continues. "Until the dampener is gone, no one else c'n come in. So, ya four are gonna place yerselves around th' base. Mirage an' Hound, yer gonna take th' south and east. Blue an' Bee, yer on th' north and west. Make sure no nasty surprises creep up on us. When th' dampener dies, Prowler will give ya th' signal. Mirage an' Hound are gonna come straight ta meh. Ah imagine all th' drones will come straight to th' explosion." Mirage and Hound nod. "Bee, yer takin' th' vents. If it looks important, break it." Bee grins. "An' Blue, yer on Prowl. Find him, git high if ya can, an' cover him until we git there." Blue nods. Jazz straightens up and looks at the team. "Questions?"

Gunner speaks up. "Is it really wise to have Prowl on the inside?"

Optimus watches with interest as Prowl's fists clench, but the Praxian doesn't say anything. Mirage actually chuckles.

"Maybe not, but that's a fight Jazz lost before it even began." he says.

Prowl never takes his gaze from the map. "Hound and Mirage can't go in. That leaves myself, Bee, and Blue. Out of the three of us, I'm the one with both the least amount of specialized equipment and the most experience fighting in that kind of environment." He flicks his doorwings. "I'm the logical choice."

Bee offers a wry grin. "The bad part is, Jazz can't argue with that, because he's right. I have less specialization than Prowl does, but not the experience he has. Hence, Prowl's going, and I'm not."

Optimus can't help but notice just how tense Jazz gets at that. He really doesn't want Prowl in Shockwave's lair. Prowl is going, no matter what, and Prime thinks he knows why.

He wonders absently just how long those two think they can keep fooling each other, but dismisses the thought. If they haven't worked things out on their own by the time this mission is over with, he'll lock them in a supply closet or something.

"Are the other teams prepared as well?" he asks.

Prowl nods. "As prepared as we're getting. Firestar has direct access to all the tac officer's comms, so if anything goes to hell in a handbasket, we'll be able to contact him directly."

Hound snorts. "Yeah, like you're going to contact Firestar if shit goes sideways."

Prowl flashes him a smirk. "Only if we're forced to retreat."

"Which ain' really an option wit this one, is it?" Jazz muses. "C'mon, mechs – we head out at dark. Git what rest ya c'n." With that, the team disperses. Blue heads out to find the Twins. Mirage and Hound leave together, while Bee sets off to get some recharge. Neither Jazz nor Prowl leaves.

Optimus sighs. "Come on, Gunner – let's go check on the other teams." Gunner nods and follows Prime out of the tac room.

Jazz looks up at Prowl, only to find the other mech staring right back at him. "There's somethin' ya ain' tellin' meh."

Prowl doesn't bother to deny it. "Shockwave has been looking at old Enforcer records from Praxus." he admits. "Deadshot informed me."

Jazz's fists clench. "And ya didn' think Ah needed ta know this?"

"What could you have done?" Prowl spreads his hands helplessly. "There's nothing in those records. I've checked. My designation is listed as one of the younglings rescued, but there's nothing personal in there. No details of what went down, no information about what happened after. But if Shockwave was after those files, then he got something out of them, and damned if I can figure out what it was!"

He's almost shouting by the end, and Jazz can only watch. He gives Prowl a moment to collect himself before speaking again.

"Ya thinkin' ya might not git outta this one?"

His voice is a hell of a lot rougher than he would have liked, but Prowl merely smiles at him.

"Dying is not an option. We're all coming home."

For a long moment, the two simply stare at each other. Slowly, Jazz smiles. "Ya really believe that."

"Of course I do. If I didn't, I wouldn't be letting us walk into this mess." Prowl steps forward and puts his hand on Jazz's shoulder. "Come on. I feel the training rooms calling our name."

Jazz tilts his helm in question. "Sparring?"

Prowl grins. "Dancing."

Jazz laughs, the last of his tension melting from his frame. "Can't let ya go witout yer dancin' partner, now can Ah?" he teases. "Lead th' way, Prowler."

Prowl guides him out of the tac room, a satisfied smile on his face.

No, dying is not an option.